Chapter 79

New Year was close, and Wen Ran finally got the notice he could start preparing for discharge. Coincidentally it landed right in the busiest stretch at Military Headquarters — meetings stacked back to back. Gu Yunchi didn't make it back to the ward until the small hours for days on end, and every time he walked in he'd find Wen Ran already dead asleep under the blankets, despite all those earnest promises in the chat that he'd study while waiting.

339 fretted with a sigh. "Studying really is brutal. Good thing Xiaoshu eats plenty every day — keeps his strength up so he doesn't collapse."

Gu Yunchi: "He eats plenty on the days he doesn't study, too."

Wen Ran turned over in his sleep, oblivious, sinking deeper into dreams.

Next morning, by the time Wen Ran woke up, Gu Yunchi had already left for the Military District. After breakfast Wen Ran started reading. He was fairly confident about aircraft design and manufacturing, but since he was going to take the military academy exam, he had to learn the military side from scratch — piles of theory and regulations waiting to be memorized.

Normally 339 would head out on its own at times like this so as not to bother him, but barely an hour into the day it came rushing back in a panic. "Xiaoshu! I heard He Wei took a bullet on a mission — it's bad, really bad — they took him to the emergency room!"

"What?" Wen Ran froze, dropped his book, reached for his phone.

He fired off a quick message to Gu Yunchi, slid out of bed, shuffled into his slippers, and ran. He and 339 took the elevator up. The doors opened onto a corridor already lined with people, and from the far end came the muffled sound of crying — He Wei's family, probably.

He had no idea what good he could do here. He checked his phone. Gu Yunchi hadn't replied.

339 tugged at the hem of his gown. "Doctor Chi is here too."

Wen Ran looked. Across the crowd, tucked into a corner by the opposite wall, he spotted Chi Jiahán in his white coat, hands hanging at his sides, standing there like he'd lost his soul, almost no color left in his face.

He hesitated, walked over, and called out very softly, "Doctor Chi."

Several seconds passed. Chi Jiahán seemed to finally hear him, slowly turned his head — eyes bloodshot, and before he even blinked, tears slid down.

Wen Ran wanted to tell him not to be sad, to sit down and wait for the rescue results, but the words felt useless. He looked down, dug around in his hospital gown pocket, found a clean tissue, and handed it to Chi Jiahán.

"Thanks." Chi Jiahán's voice was hoarse. He took the tissue, stared at the emergency room doors for a while, then finally looked down and wiped his eyes.

Wen Ran stood with him for half an hour, then quietly slipped away and went back to the ward to study. It wasn't until around noon that Gu Yunchi apparently finally had a moment to check his phone. Reply: Mm. I know. Eat properly.

But he still couldn't eat easy. 339 kept darting in and out of the ward, feeding Wen Ran updates — every single one was that the rescue still wasn't over.

Around two-thirty in the afternoon the ward door opened. Wen Ran assumed it was 339 and turned around to ask how He Wei was doing — and saw Gu Yunchi walk in instead.

"He's out of danger." Gu Yunchi tossed his coat onto the sofa. "Still in a coma, though. They've moved him to the ICU."

Wen Ran let out a long breath. "That's good, then."

He climbed off the bed, studied Gu Yunchi's face, and asked, "You just got here, but you were waiting outside the emergency room for a long time too, right?"

"Over an hour." Gu Yunchi sat down on the sofa, reached up, pulled Wen Ran over as he walked past, pressed a hand to his lower back and drew him in close, head resting against Wen Ran's chest, holding him tight.

Wen Ran stood between Gu Yunchi's knees, ran his fingers through his hair, and in that instant saw — like a vision — what Gu Yunchi must have looked like a month ago, waiting outside the Operating Room for his own surgery.

A person fundamentally quiet, restrained, who rarely let anything out and kept everything pulled in. Rather than pace anxiously or fidget, Gu Yunchi probably just sat in silence, looking exactly the same as always.

But a wait like that breeds endless, mounting weight and exhaustion as the hours drag on. If Wen Ran could have stood in front of him back then — no, there was no such if. So right now, Gu Yunchi used this embrace to retroactively comfort the version of himself from a month ago.

Wen Ran let his hands slide down the sides of Gu Yunchi's neck to rest on his shoulders. "Knowing Officer He is okay — Doctor Chi must feel better too. Nothing better than seeing someone you care about come through safe."

Gu Yunchi breathed in Wen Ran's Pheromone. "You'll get that kind of good news too."

"You mean you'll get seriously hurt and then get rescued?" Wen Ran's brows knit immediately. He cupped Gu Yunchi's face and tipped it up, glaring at him. "I've already been through it once. I don't want a next time. Don't you dare jinx it."

Gu Yunchi didn't say anything, just looked up at him with a half-smile. Wen Ran couldn't really work up any anger. He managed two seconds of seriousness, then dropped his gaze.

The second before the kiss landed — BANG — 339 blew through the door. "Xiaoshu! Latest update—"

Wen Ran's hands flew off, he spun around and went to pour water, suddenly very busy. Gu Yunchi glanced at 339, still half-stuck in the doorway and not fully inside, and said, in two words: "Get out."

On the third morning, Gu Yunchi carved out time specifically to accompany Wen Ran through discharge. Back at the villa, Wen Ran flopped spread-eagled on the sofa, stared up at the double-height ceiling above the living room, and let out a long breath. Too long in that ward — he'd really missed a space this big and open.

Gu Yunchi leaned over, braced a hand on the sofa, and kissed Wen Ran's cheek. "Heading to work."

"Okay, Colonel Gu." Wen Ran's voice was soft, with a thread of intimacy in it he didn't even notice himself.

He'd already been about to get up, but hearing Wen Ran call him that, Gu Yunchi paused. His eyes shifted. Instead, he pressed his lips to Wen Ran's.

339, just then walking out of the kitchen with a cup of water, caught the scene and nearly dumped the water in its own face. It slammed into silent mode on emergency, slowly backing into the kitchen. Heart refusing to settle down, it whipped its head around and locked onto the coffee machine on the counter.

Wen Ran, kissed into a daze, vaguely heard a clatter of intense sounds from the kitchen and mumbled, "You got 339 grinding beans again...?"

"It's bored on its own." Gu Yunchi lifted his head, swallowed once, looked at Wen Ran's flushed face and unfocused eyes, and said low, "Didn't the doctor say the Fenqi Period gets delayed for a while after surgery?"

Wen Ran stared at him blankly for a few seconds before the tease landed. He flushed and denied it hotly. "I'm not in heat!" He raised a hand and covered Gu Yunchi's eyes. "Go to work, or I'll — I'll call the Military Headquarters hotline and report you for being late!"

He shoved Gu Yunchi out the door with a threat that carried zero menace, then went to the kitchen and found 339 blushing bright red over the grinder. "Gu Yunchi's gone. You can stop."

"I wanted to grind~" 339 pouted, sneaking shy little glances at Wen Ran.

Not even two seconds of shyness later, 339's brow pinched and its expression flipped. "The Chairman is here!"

Wen Ran hadn't even processed it before 339 had already charged out. He hurried after it. At the entryway, 339 planted itself in front of Wen Ran — maybe for courage, it even fired off a bullet-chambering sound effect: "Prepare for battle! BDH-339 swears to defend Xiaoshu to the death!"

A little moved, a little wanting to suggest it watch fewer chuunibyou comics, Wen Ran patted 339's head. "It's okay."

He stepped past the entryway, opened the door, and saw Gu Peiwen walking up with his cane. He gave a polite nod. "Chairman Gu."

Gu Peiwen studied the omega in front of him — taller now, still thin, but the look in his eyes had completely shed its timidity and caution. No longer the kind that would flinch from holding eye contact for even a second — now calm, direct.

As it should be. He'd thrown himself alone into the black sea before the explosion, come face to face with death and pain, grown up in hiding until now. With that kind of will and courage, of course he wouldn't fear anything anymore.

"Heard you'd been discharged. Thought I'd come by and see — am I bothering you?"

Wen Ran stepped back half a pace and pulled the door wider. "No, please come in."

"Good."

Once in the living room, Gu Peiwen sat down on the sofa. 339 brought him a cup of tea, then pretended to retreat to the kitchen — but actually hid around the corner, poking its head out to sneak a peek every now and then.

"Recovering well?"

"Mm."

Gu Peiwen smiled. "That's good. Nothing matters more than you being healthy right now."

Wen Ran didn't know how to answer, so he just stayed quiet. Gu Peiwen's smile faded. He paused, then said, "You must hate me terribly."

Wen Ran looked up. "No."

When would he have had the time? Since seven years ago — busy surviving, busy recovering, busy building a new life. No time for resentment at all. Going over the past again and again, hating the one who did it — that was a waste of time for him. Not worth it.

Not hate so much as indifference.

"You're the same as Yunchi." Gu Peiwen let out a soft sigh. "Can't really say you hate me, but in some sense you've completely cut me off."

"Of course, that's as it should be. I said long ago — I honestly can't do anything about him. These years I barely see him, can't reach him either. Only when I find out he's been hurt, and I call, will he grudgingly say two words to me — and they're not kind ones." Gu Peiwen folded his hands over the head of his cane. "Knowing you're alive — I'm truly glad. For you, and for Yunchi."

"He's not like this just because of me," Wen Ran said. "His parents too."

"Yes. Everyone Yunchi cares about was taken from him by the same conspiracy of interests." Gu Peiwen's voice dropped. "After the explosion, during the days of sea search and rescue, Chongze was kept detained and forced to kneel at the Wharf. Yunchi did this to make everyone see the Gu Family's scandal for what it was. He'd long since grown sick of the adults papering over everything for so many years."

Wen Ran was quiet for a moment, then said, "I looked up the news before. Gu Chongze never went to prison in the end. I want to know how he died."

"I thought Yunchi had told you." Gu Peiwen raised a hand; a bodyguard beside him handed over a tablet, and Gu Peiwen passed it to Wen Ran.

The screen showed a video. Wen Ran froze — City S's Military Hospital, when he'd asked Gu Yunchi about Li Qingwan, Gu Yunchi had shown him this exact video.

"She found out about me and Shuhui. How could I possibly keep her around... had the nerve to hide for a whole lifetime, but then had to come back to Capital City, looking for her son..."

"...If Wen Ran knew how good you were to him, would he have the heart to die... even if he didn't want to die, he didn't have a choice, did he... you happened to wake up that day, watched him get blown to death with your own eyes..."

"There's one thing I'm curious about — did you find his body in the sea, or could you only set up an empty tomb?"

"You should thank me. Let him die a spectacular death — that way you can remember him forever."

Every word, every line — identical to what Gu Yunchi had shown him. Wen Ran held his breath, watching through to the end. He was about to tell Gu Peiwen he'd already seen it — and realized the video, which should have gone black and ended, was still playing.

He watched: after Gu Chongze finished that line, a hand — soaked in blood, gripping a gun — rose from the lower right corner of the frame, instantly filling two-thirds of the screen. The dark muzzle of the gun happened to block Gu Chongze from view, leaving only a sliver of his right shoulder visible.

The hand rose and held steady in one motion — no need even to aim. Decisive, cold, the trigger was pulled.

BANG—

Gu Chongze's right shoulder, the only part visible past the muzzle, jerked hard from the bullet's impact — then his whole body slumped down, lifeless and silent.

The video really did end there.

Wen Ran stared blankly at the screen. His hands holding the tablet trembled without his permission. He forgot to breathe. Only his heart kept pounding — like a thousand echoes of that gunshot from seven years ago.

How could he not recognize it? Even caked in blood, Wen Ran knew at a glance — that was Gu Yunchi's hand.

That night, after watching the video in the hospital room, he'd curled up next to Gu Yunchi with the gun in his arms, shaking, crying that if he'd been in the interrogation room too, he would have killed Gu Chongze. At that moment he'd wished more than anything that time could run backward.

But it turned out he didn't need to — didn't need to go back in time with a gun to the interrogation room. Gu Yunchi had already avenged him with his own hands, seven years ago.

That night, Gu Yunchi came home late again. He'd figured Wen Ran was already asleep in the master bedroom, but the second he stepped into the living room and the lights flicked on automatically, there was Wen Ran — sitting on the sofa, hedgehog hair going every direction, staring at him wide awake.

"Can't sleep?" Gu Yunchi asked, shrugging off his coat. "Want me to drive you back to a room at 195 Institute right now?"

"New Year's Eve is the day after tomorrow," Wen Ran said, ignoring the question. "Gu Yunchi, when are we going shopping for New Year's stuff?"

"Funny you should ask." Gu Yunchi tugged his tie loose a notch. "Get up early tomorrow. We're going to the airport."

"What?!"

His brain had already painted the picture: Gu Yunchi had picked out the perfect city for New Year's, and the two of them were going together. Wen Ran lay in bed too excited to sleep, saw that Gu Yunchi was already out, so he had to be happy on his own — eyes shut, then open, open, then shut again.

The next day, barely past seven, Wen Ran — who hadn't really slept all night — caught the first signs of Gu Yunchi stirring and immediately sat up, nudging him. "Get up, get up, gotta pack."

Gu Yunchi cracked one eye open and looked at him, taking a few seconds before he sat up.

Downstairs, Wen Ran found someone standing in the living room with a toolbox. The guy introduced himself as a barber — here this morning at Gu Yunchi's request to give Wen Ran a haircut.

Wen Ran patted his own head. Yeah, it really did need a trim. Greet the new year looking sharp and fresh.

He sat in the chair like a good boy. Ten-some minutes later, Gu Yunchi came downstairs. Wen Ran was just about to comment that Young Master Gu's morning temper didn't seem so bad today, when he saw Gu Yunchi's face darken as he stretched out a leg and kicked BDH-339. "Coffee."

Wen Ran pressed his lips shut and scratched his nose.

BDH-339, who was filming the haircut, shuffled toward the kitchen with a grudge, muttering, "Coffee on an empty stomach, careful you get heart palpitations, ha."

The cut was done in no time — puffy hedgehog head turned into a soft, fluffy chestnut crop. Wen Ran glanced at Gu Yunchi, who was lounging on the sofa scrolling his Mobile Phone, and asked, "Does it look good?" Without waiting for an answer, he turned back to the mirror and said, satisfied, "I think it looks great."

Happy with his fresh trim, Wen Ran ate breakfast and took his medicine, then rushed back upstairs, buzzing with excitement, to pack.

The so-called luggage was just his ID and a change of clothes stuffed into that old yellow Backpack. Wen Ran stood in front of Gu Yunchi with it on his back, snapped to attention, and saluted. "Sir, I'm ready."

Gu Yunchi propped his chin on his hand, eyeing his completely non-regulation form. "Elementary school field trip."

Lucky for him Wen Ran was in too good a mood to argue. He looked around. "Where's your luggage?"

"I'm not going with you," Gu Yunchi said.

Like a bolt out of the blue. Wen Ran froze, mouth half-open, and after a long beat managed, "You're sending me off alone?"

"You go first. I'll come later." Gu Yunchi stood and zipped Wen Ran's down jacket all the way to the top. "Military Headquarters has an important briefing today, and I want to wait for He Wei to wake up."

"Okay." All of that made sense — he just didn't get why Gu Yunchi wanted him to go ahead instead of them leaving together later. Wen Ran shoved his hands into his coat pockets and dipped his head. "Then you have to come."

On the way to the airport, Wen Ran gazed out the window. "The forecast says it'll snow tomorrow. I've never seen snow in Capital City."

"Where you're going, it's already snowing," Gu Yunchi said. "Wear a hat when you go out."

Hearing there was snow, Wen Ran's mood perked up. "Really? Good thing I stuffed a hat in my Backpack."

He never asked Gu Yunchi where they were headed. He figured it was a surprise, and if it was a surprise, no point digging. Gu Yunchi couldn't possibly be air-shipping him somewhere to sell him off.

At the private terminal, the butler took Wen Ran's Backpack, wrapped up the boarding in ten minutes, and said he could board.

The private jet was parked close to the terminal. Wen Ran walked out of the lounge, looking a little wilted — from excited field-trip elementary schooler to a kid who'd rather not go to school. He looked at Gu Yunchi and said again, "You're really coming, right? You have to come. I want to ring in the new year with you."

Even though it was only a few steps, Gu Yunchi still pulled up the hood of his down jacket, gripped the brim, ducked his head down, and kissed him inside the hood. "Maybe once you get there, you'll be so happy you won't even have time to think of me."

Wen Ran opened his mouth to argue back, but looked up and caught Gu Yunchi's eyes — unusually soft, the faintest trace of a smile in them. Not hypothetical. More like a blessing.

On board, he found Gu Yunchi had arranged one doctor and one nurse for him. Wen Ran listened carefully to the captain's briefing, then toppled straight into the bedroom.

Having not slept the night before, Wen Ran passed out the moment the plane was airborne and slept for over six hours straight — freaking out the medical team and the flight attendants, who kept coming in to check his breathing, terrified something was wrong.

With landing approaching, they finally had no choice but to wake him. Wen Ran dragged himself up in a daze, shuffled to the lounge area, and in the same daze ate his way through steak, grilled meat, and dessert before slowly coming back online.

The plane touched down. High latitude. Through the window, Wen Ran saw the white expanse of Snow Mountain in the distance.

As soon as he left the terminal, Wen Ran got into the car sent to pick him up. The vehicle drove across the long plains highway, heading toward the border Little Town at the foot of the mountains.

Wen Ran opened his Mobile Phone and saw a message Gu Yunchi had sent two hours earlier: He Wei woke up.

Gu Yunchi: Let me know when you land.

Wen Ran: Congrats Officer He! [fireworks]

Wen Ran: I'm in the car, no idea how long the drive is [sleepy]

A few minutes later, Gu Yunchi replied: Slept the whole flight and you're still tired?

Wen Ran: [awkward][awkward][awkward]

An hour and a half later, the car pulled into a parking lot somewhere in town. Wen Ran looked out the window, froze, pushed the door open, and climbed out. "Teacher Wu?"

Wu Yin stood beside a car, smiling warmly at him. "Didn't expect to see me, did you."

"I really didn't." Wen Ran ran up to her with his Backpack bouncing. "Did you come alone? Where's Teacher Zhang?"

"He's been touring with the orchestra all year-end, so he couldn't make it back to Capital City to see you either. He's got a performance tomorrow night — New Year's Eve — and really can't get away, so I came alone." Wu Yin reached over and straightened his scarf, looking at him with gentle eyes. "I only met you once, seven years ago. Back then I didn't even know you were Li Qingwan's son. So many years, just like that. Thank goodness. Really, thank goodness."

He hadn't had much to do with Wu Yin and Zhang Fangyi, but because they'd been his mother's teachers — her elders — they carried a weight in his eyes that was hard to put into words. His nose stung. "Did you know I was coming?"

"Mm." Wu Yin slipped an arm around his back. "Come on. There's somewhere I want to take you."

He didn't ask where. He just followed. Into the town, the Christmas decorations on the storefronts hadn't all come down yet. Clean windows, long strings of lights glittering under the gray sky — warm and festive.

Treading through the snow, passing one bookstore after another — dessert shops, toy stores, cafes — it was like a peaceful Little Town out of a fairy tale. Wen Ran took them all in, until Wu Yin led him around a corner onto another quiet street, where a Preparatory School appeared ahead.

He couldn't help himself. Wen Ran pulled out his Mobile Phone and messaged Gu Yunchi.

Wen Ran: This place is gorgeous, thick snow, so many fun shops on the street [thumbs up]

Wen Ran: I'm gonna walk the whole street with you [sun][coffee][handshake]

Gu Yunchi replied right away: Not going shopping with an old man.

Not going shopping with an old man — but phone-calling one was fair game. The second the message went through, Gu Yunchi called.

"Hey? Gu Yunchi, I bumped into Teacher Wu, we're walking together."

"Near the school yet?"

"Just got here. How'd you know?"

The words had barely left his mouth when Wen Ran noticed Wu Yin had stopped, looking at the school gate.

Seconds later, the overcast sky cracked open. Sunlight broke through the clouds and fell on the tall, weathered wooden gate — the one that read Changqing Middle School.

"Go in and look," Gu Yunchi said, calm.

Wen Ran stepped forward, his hand pressing gently against the gate. He turned his head — and suddenly saw Wu Yin with her hand over her mouth, crying quietly.

As if something had finally clicked into place, though he couldn't yet name it, Wen Ran blinked and pushed the gate open with both hands.

Snow piled on the branches like white leaves, so the whole school was full of white trees, glittering where the sun hit them. A woman in a dark gray coat, arms full of books and test papers, was crunching through the snow toward the gate — crunch, crunch, crunch.

Then the sound stopped.

Every thought froze at once. A buzzing tinnitus spread from the back of his skull, swallowing all sound. Wen Ran stood rooted — still holding the phone, still pushing the gate — his lips touching without his permission, but no sound came out.

"Your body's not back to normal yet. Don't cry too hard." Gu Yunchi listened to Wen Ran's breathing quicken over the line, then said, "Go."